Along Came A Spyder

The R8 Spyder will soon be available to satiate sun and speed worshipers; the queue begins now at your local Audi dealer.photo courtesy Audi

Audi firmly established itself as a serious player in the supercar realm with its mid-engine R8 coupe, available with both V-8 and V-10 engines. Because everything is more fascinating when topless, it was just a matter of time before they peeled the roof off of the R8. Although this transformation sacrificed the carâ€™s trademark side blades, the resulting all-aluminum Spyder is none the worse for wear.

The R8 Spyder, which made its production debut in Geneva earlier this month, will initially be available exclusively with the Lamborghini-derived 525hp, 5.2-liter direct-injection V-10 engine mated to either a six-speed manual or R tronic six-speed sequential manual. With its permanent quattro AWD, this R8 rips to 62 MPH in 4.1 seconds and tops out at a toupee-shredding 194 MPH. Bucking the trend toward folding hard tops, this car features a classic soft top that can be retracted on the fly at up to 31 MPH, and its heated glass rear window can be raised independently to act as a windbreak. U.S. pricing has yet to be released, but weâ€™re expecting it to start around $160,000, a fair jump over the basic R8â€™s $114,200. Visit www.audi.com for videos, images and specifications.

(This post originally appeared in the March 11, 2010, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)